A special court on Saturday sentenced Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi to life in ephedrine quota case.
The court had earlier in the day reserved its judgment after the counsel for Abbasi concluded his arguments. “We will announce the judgment in three to four hours,” the judge said.
Security was put on high-alert as the hearing went underway. An armoured personnel carrier (APC) was also present on the spot. Personnel of the Anti-Narcotics Force and police hae closed the way leading out of the court.
A day earlier, Judge Mohammad Akram Khan had rejected Abbasi’s plea to delay the trial’s deadline, noting that it has to follow orders of the Lahore High Court (LHC).
Abbasi was accused of misusing 500kg of the controlled chemical ephedrine which he had obtained for his company, Gray Pharmaceutical, in 2010. A case was registered against Abbasi and his accomplices in June 2012 under various sections of the Control of Narcotics Substances (CNS) Act.
Published in Daily Times, July 22nd 2018.
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